Supermarkets under fire for price promotions that focus on fatty foods

A mini-row has broken out between the grocery retailers and the National Consumer Council over a report criticising supermarkets for offering too many sales promotions on unhealthy food…

The credit crunch is mentioned in almost every article in the newspapers these days. This one in the Guardian describes how a small piece of market research by the National Consumer Council has highlighted the issue of sales promotions which encourage shoppers to stock up on “unhealthy” foods. You know the kind of food - ready meals, chocolate, cheese - processed foods of all kinds. The NCC found too few promotions encouraging shoppers to buy fruit and vegetables.

The article has some good examples in it for business students. For example, you could use it to describe the sampling process undertaken by the NCC - visiting a sample of supermarkets in Sheffield. The sample has been described as an unrepresentative snapshot by the retailers who come in for criticism.